VZCZCXRO7286
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAM #4453/01 3081013
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041013Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0804
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0623

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004453 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA AND PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PGOV SOCI EAID IZ JO
SUBJECT: UNHCR AND NGOS OUTLINE ADMISSIONS AND ASSISTANCE 
PLANS AND CHALLENGES TO FOLEY DELEGATION 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 4376 
     ¶B. AMMAN 3907 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a two-day visit to Amman, Senior 
Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues Ambassador James Foley, 
accompanied by DHS Senior Advisor for Iraqi Refugees Lori 
Scialabba, discussed admission and assistance priorities with 
senior United Nations refugee officials, NGOs, and Jordanian 
General Intelligence Director Mohamed Dahabi (ref A).  UNHCR 
emphasized that it can continue to produce referrals to the 
U.S. provided we can process them, and articulated its needs 
to assist vulnerable Iraqis with food, relief items and cash 
assistance in 2008.  NGOs briefed on their operations and 
raised their concerns particularly over the future 
sustainability of Iraqi refugees in Jordan.  END SUMMARY. 
 
UNHCR RAISES NUMBERS AND SUPPORT 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) On October 28, Foley and Scialabba met with a 
delegation of UN officials led by Radhouane Noucier, UNHCR's 
Director for North Africa and the Middle East, Imran Riza, 
UNHCR Jordan representative, and Janvier de Riedmatten, UNHCR 
Iraq representative.  Noucier prefaced the meeting by noting 
that Iraqi refugees are the largest urban caseload in UNHCR 
history.  Noucier estimated the number of Iraqi refugees as 
follows: 
 
   -Syria: 1.2 million 
   -Jordan: 400,000 - 500,000 
   -The Gulf: 200,000 
   -Lebanon: 20,000 
   -Egypt: 20,000 
 
Noucier estimated that vulnerable cases (based on criteria 
such as health, female-headed households, orphans, etc.) 
represent 25 percent of the population which, he cautioned, 
has limited means of sustaining itself.  Thus, despite 
UNHCR's providing food, health, education and cash assistance 
(primarily to offset the cost of rent), resources of the 
Iraqi population continue to dwindle. 
 
¶3. (SBU) De Reidmatten estimated that until July there were 
50,000-60,000 new displacements per month in Iraq, though 
that figure appears to have decreased and, according to the 
Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, up to 3,000 
families have returned to their homes in Baghdad.  UNHCR Iraq 
assistance continues to focus primarily on communities 
hosting concentrations of IDPs that are often difficult to 
identify and reach.  He noted that 30 percent of the IDPs are 
in settlements of some sort and can thus be more easily 
served, but that the other 70 percent, an urban caseload 
distributed throughout towns and cities, are much harder to 
reach.  He said there is now a noticeable concentration of 
IDPs in Babil Governorate.  He said he thought MODM 
performance is improving, noting that UNHCR has suggested to 
MODM that it second one or two officers to the Ministry to 
help with information management, planning and capacity 
building. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Noucier estimated that UNHCR will request at least 
USD 126 million for its 2008 appeal.  He was pleased that the 
2007 general appeal was almost entirely funded, but noted the 
outstanding health and educational appeals were less 
supported.  UNHCR requested that Foley consider lifting the 
usual USG cap of 25-30 percent of funding UNHCR appeals, 
remarking that the UN refugee agency would face trouble in 
2008 if donors other than the U.S., Japan and Denmark did not 
step forward.  Noucier encouraged Foley to pressure other 
potential European and Gulf donors to contribute. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Noucier claimed that UNHCR will have 20,000 
submissions region-wide for resettlement by the end of 2007, 
and asked Ambassador Foley to clarify U.S. resettlement goals 
through 2008.  Foley replied that the USG has set a goal of 
12,000 for 2008, but that our capacity to process relies on 
external factors such as our ability to operate and conduct 
interviews in Syria.  Foley strongly urged UNHCR to boost 
referrals to USRAP in Jordan. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) As the meeting closed, Ambassador Foley raised 
recently-publicized reports of alleged discrimination by 
UNHCR staff against Iraqi Christians.  UNHCR rebuffed the 
claims' validity, and reiterated its commitment to following 
up all claims of mistreatment.  Noucier said that 22 percent 
of those registered to date with UNHCR in Jordan - and 36 
percent of those resettled - have been Christian.  UNHCR 
expressed a concern that creating a special track for 
 
AMMAN 00004453  002 OF 002 
 
 
Christians would lead to additional criticisms by other 
religious minorities, heightened tensions in the neighboring 
countries, and could have the unintended consequence of 
"emptying" Iraq of its historic religious minorities. 
 
NGOs IDENTIFY ONGOING CHALLENGES 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) On October 29, Foley attended an informal lunch 
hosted by Save the Children with representatives of NGOs 
supporting displaced Iraqis.  Save the Children stressed that 
Jordan is a developing country with its own demographic and 
development challenges, and its absorption of Iraqis must be 
understood in that context.  NGOs offered their respective 
theories on why Iraqi enrollment in Jordanian schools 
(generally estimated to be 20,000-25,000) was less than hoped 
(ref B), most of them having to do with fear and economic 
considerations. 
 
¶8. (SBU) ICMC, Mercy Corps and CARE representatives described 
ongoing tensions between Iraqis and Jordanians mostly of 
Palestinian origin.  According to these NGOs, young Iraqis 
are angry about their situation and inability to work to 
support themselves, while Jordanians of Palestinian origin 
are resentful of the attention and resources devoted to the 
Iraqis.  They noted the common scapegoating of Iraqis for the 
increasing costs of food, fuel and other basic necessities, 
while many Jordanians have not seen an increase in their 
standard of living.  All NGOs stressed that, in developing 
programs to help displaced Iraqis, they plan for 25-50 
percent of those they serve to be lower-income Jordanians. 
They speculated that as the resources and savings of Iraqis 
decline, the burden on Jordan will grow, the situation for 
Iraqis will worsen, and the GOJ will be forced to consider 
(unspecified) "alternate solutions". 
 
¶9. (U) Several NGO representatives spoke about the procedures 
and challenges they have faced in registering their 
activities and coordinating with the Government of Jordan. 
Care's representative explained that the Ministry of Planning 
has established an ad-hoc committee composed of the Ministry 
of Interior, the Ministry of Education and the General 
Intelligence Directorate to consider all requests by NGOs 
that are not operating under the auspices of UN agencies. 
ANERA, a PRM-funded implementer for an informal education and 
psychosocial support program, described its continued and 
unsuccessful effort to solicit approval from this committee, 
and in particular the Ministry of Education representative, 
because of GOJ fears that its programming will create a 
parallel education system.  At the same time, Qwestscope, a 
non-formal educational provider, expressed optimism that its 
educational courses would soon be expanded to include Iraqis 
with GOJ blessing.  In unanimity, NGOs stated their opinion 
that the GOJ wou 
ld never approve vocational training for Iraqis for fear that 
it would lead additional Iraqis to work illegally. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Overall, Ambassador Foley and his delegation were 
struck by the prospect - emphasized by several of the NGOs - 
of the inevitable impoverishment of those Iraqis in Jordan 
(probably the majority) whose resources are being depleted 
and who have few means to replenish them, and the increased 
tensions this will cause within Jordan. 
 
¶11.  (U) Ambassador Foley has cleared this cable. 
Hale